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Posts tagged ‘gear’

Singapore now has “bike sharing,” it’s great and fun… But as always, it can be improved.

First thing you have to know is that there are presently 3 private companies offering their bikes… Mobike, oBike and ofo.

You will easily notice that Mobike is orange, oBike and ofo are both yellow but ofo (normally) does not come with a basket.

Here’s the first problem… You need 3 apps! Since you don’t know which bike is nearby. I personally have the Mobike and oBike apps on my phone.

Update: Just removed Mobike since I see 90% oBike’s in my area.

Next problem, deposit… So 3 apps will mean 3X the deposit!

Another problem I experienced with oBike is that 1 phone can only use 1 bike at a time, I had to download the app, add a credit card and pay the deposit so that my wife can ride another bike.

Then there’s a problem of “where can I find a bike?” Yes you can find one near MRT stations. But near your home? That can be a challenge.

GPS is a big help, but…

It would be great if the bikes have a dedicated rack where you earn points (or even credits) if you return the bike there.

It will help lessen the eye sore brought by these bikes that are literally parked everywhere!

Here’s what I mean when I walked around last Saturday.

A bike near the bus stops.

Near a parking lot

Another bike outside HarbourFront MRT

If you notice a trend here… People just leave their bikes where its comfortable and convenient for them.

I’m sure you will also notice that there are just bikes everywhere…

A little order would be nice… And it will be impossible to ask people to put bikes in racks if they won’t get anything from it!

Another suggestion is a bigger basket behind the seat… Mobike and oBike both provide small baskets in front… A bigger basket would be nice for those trips to the market.

The oBike I tried is on the heavier side, I understand that we should not expect a light body… But maybe they should have looked at the possible gear ratios to make the ride lighter… We don’t need them to be fast anyway.

Google must make inexpensive smart watches (or maybe fitness bands, see Gear Fit), around the “impulse buy” price of $50-$100… This “inexpensive device” must have a minimum of 2 days battery life and a readable display in day light!

To keep costs low battery life decent, this device will definitely use an e-ink display and loose the touch screen…

Apple watch will always have mob lining up to buy the latest model. Something Google and their partner OEMs don’t have.

But once normal people learn how to use a smart watch, chances are they will upgrade to a better device later…

So again, Google must put Android Wear on as many wrists it can, hopefully they get at least half of these people to later upgrade to a device running a full version or Android Wear…